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KIDD'S LONDON JOURNAL. 



a few insects be given it ; and, I believe, it 

 would subsist but a short time, if some were 

 not given it frequently. Last summer, 1 pro- 

 cured a nest of young redstarts, which were 

 placed in the aviary with the other birds. 

 As soon as they chirped for food, the whin- 

 chat began to be agitated, and examined 

 them minutely ; after a time, it took to feed- 

 ing them, and continued to do so till they 

 were grown up. 



In an appendix to the last number of Mr. 

 Sweet's work, a few additional remarks, con- 

 cerning the species he has treated of, will be 

 found under the head " Whinchat:" he says, 

 — This species, and the redstart, I find to be 

 the most tender of any of the sorts that I 

 have kept through the winter; but they may 

 be managed very well by keeping them in a 

 warm room, in cold, frosty weather. One 

 that I possess at present, is the most inte- 

 resting bird T have. It was taken from the 

 nest last summer, on Wandsworth Common, 

 and bred up by hand. By this means it be- 

 came very tame and bold. When young, it 

 was seized with the cramp, which I thought 

 might be occasioned by the want of sand or 

 gravel : as I suspect, what they eat of that 

 turns to lime, and forms and hardens their 

 bones. I accordingly mixed up small stones, 

 about the size of small shots, in its food, 

 after it had not been able to stand for three 

 or four days. The first day I gave it him, 

 he became much stronger, and could stand a 

 little before night ; the next day it was quite 

 well, and could jump up and down the 

 perches as if nothing had ever ailed it. It 

 has continued in good health ever since, and 

 is now as handsome a bird as need be. It 

 has been in full song ever since last Octo- 

 ber, singing nearly the whole day through, 

 and very often at night. Its song is now very 

 loud and very variable, as it has learnt the 

 songs of most of the other birds. In my 

 account of the stone chat, I mentioned this 

 bird (whinchat), as having learnt the song of 

 the larger whitethroat, redstart, and female 

 willow Wren ; since then, it has learnt the 

 song of the missel-thrush, which it hears in 

 the garden hard by; it also learnt the 

 nightingale's "jug, jug, jug," and repeated 

 it in five minutes after hearing the nightingale 

 sing. It now sings it so frequently, that it 

 is impossible to know which of the two are 

 singing without seeing them. The same 

 treatment is required for breeding these 

 birds from the nest as I have already men- 

 tioned ; and afterwards, to keep them in 

 good health, give them as many insects as 

 possible, such as the common maggots, small 

 beetles, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, 

 &c, &c. 



Note.- -The generic name now given to the 

 whinchat by naturalists, is saxicola. — E. C. 



NO!" 



{To be Continued.) 



How many thousands are there, whose 

 ruin may be dated from the simple fact of 

 their being unable to say that little word 

 "No!" Born good-natured, some men are 

 willing to grant any and every thing that it 

 is in their power to grant — simply for the ask- 

 ing. Hence are they fair game for the 

 spoilers. 



In early days, OUR ignorance, or deficiency 

 in education on this point, was as great as 

 anybody's. Our punishment has been per- 

 haps, on occasions, greater than the "offence " 

 warranted; yet has it been followed by a salu- 

 tary effect. 



Still this innate propensity haunts its 

 victims; and every now and then, in spite of 

 resolution, brings them into trouble. Let us 

 cite a recent case of our own folly as a prelude 

 to something to follow — for "hereby hangs a 

 tale:' 



It is no secret we believe, that our disposi- 

 tion is kindly. Presuming on this, some 

 little time since, a medical man, living in 

 Clyde Street, Edinburgh, and "ranking" 

 as a gentleman, entreated us to procure 

 for him a splendid German canary, and give 

 it a first-rate education. We did so, believ- 

 ing (as usual ! ) he was a " gentleman." * 



This belief indeed, all his letters to us, 

 which were most artfully put together, seemed 

 to confirm. After we had kept the bird some 

 months, my gentleman requested us to pur- 

 chase him, in addition, a strong cage with 

 lock and key ; and into this strong cage to 

 put the other, containing the bird. We were 

 then to forward the key to him by post 

 (which we did do), and despatch the bird by 

 steamer. This, be it known, was done to 

 prevent the steward changing the bird on 

 the voyage. 



To serve " the gentleman " to the fullest 

 extent in our power, we ourselves (only a 

 few weeks since) went down to the wharf, 

 and saw Mr. Dicky carefully suspended in 

 the cabin of the steamer — " The Clarence," 

 bidding him adieu (for ever !) as the vessel 

 cleared out. 



Now for the climax. We had to write 

 thrice (paying each time a trifle for our 

 letter), to know if our dear little pet had ar- 

 rived safe ? and at last, from policy perhaps, 

 a faint reply of " Yes " reached us. We 

 have since applied to Mr. John T. for the 



* Mr. John T ], the " gentleman " in ques- 

 tion, addressed us on the subject, in consequence 

 of his having seen our articles on " British Birds," 

 which were publishing weekly in the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle. He imagined us no doubt to be " soft," 

 and therefore tried it on. He has succeeded in 

 getting a bird, worth at least £3 3s. — for nothing ! 

 We have also been "done" out of two cages, a 

 lock, and a key! — Ed. K. J. 



